17 Feb The Modern Root Causes of Disease

I came across this meme the other day. It’s a list of the root causes of disease. Take a look.

Do any of these resonate with you? What got me was the sheer number of things that can be the root causes of disease.

How does anyone manage to stay healthy?

You need an ally

Of course, my mind then went straight to how health coaches are in dire need. Who can navigate this list on their own? You could probably cross off a few, like smoking, or poor oral hygiene, but how many can cross off toxic tap water, stress, or EMF exposure, and so many others? A coach could help you navigate through your own list of root causes of disease.

How we got here

Our modern society has slowly evolved to a society that undermines health. I know because it happened to me. As I entered middle age, I had more and more symptoms. A discomfort here, an annoyance there, until I felt bad more often than I felt good. I had to figure out what was happening to me. I’ve been a researcher ever since I got a doctorate in education way back in the 80s. And the research I did led me to functional medicine, which addresses the root causes of disease, and I attended the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy.

The root causes of disease

So what is it about modern life that undermines health instead of supporting it? With all our advances in modern medicine, you’d think we’d be healthier than ever, but instead our medical system is being overloaded with people sick with chronic disease.

Chemicals

When I was young, people would say “better living through chemistry” and I wish that were completely true. While chemicals improve some products and aspects of our life, chemical exposure where it doesn’t belong can ruin health. I’m thinking of chemicals in food, and chemicals in beauty products, cleaning products, air fresheners. herbicides, and pesticides. So who among us eats all organic and uses all clean products? Not me. I try, but it’s hard to find clean products, and they’re expensive.

Convenience

We are all busy, so the cook of the family needs some help, and the answer is convenience food. The problem is that as food is processed to make it shelf stable and easy to prepare, the nutrition can be processed right out of it. The taste is processed out as well, so sugar is added in. And also vegetable oils. Both can be very hard on health. My motto is JERF: just eat real food.

Fear of germs

We’re scared of germs. Germs are the enemy. Or so we thought. A relatively recent discovery is the microbiome. That’s the colony of microorganisms that live in our gut, on our skin, in our mouth, and all over the earth. These tiny bugs are in balance, optimally. But when we start killing off bad bugs, we kill off good ones too, and upset the balance. A microbiome out of balance leads to ill health, which can happen when we overuse antibiotics and sanitizers.

We work indoors

We hunch over desks most of our day, and flop on our sofas in the evening. What that means is that we are not outdoors getting the benefits of being in nature and sunshine. We’re not exercising enough. And we’re using devices that put us close to EMFs–electromagnetic fields. There are thousands more EMFs around us now than before electronics were invented. That can’t be good, can it?

Industrial agriculture

The price of efficiency has been nutrition. Soils are depleted of minerals, due to current practices. That means the foods grown in the soils are deficient, and we who eat the foods can be deficient in minerals. Just like vitamins, we need minerals to be healthy. Crops are also sprayed with herbicides and pesticides, which means we’re eating poisons. The poison may not kill people directly, but it kills the bugs in our guts–the microbiome. So now when we eat industrially grown food–most of us–we have compromised microbiomes, which sets us up for disease. Fermented foods like yogurt or sauerkraut can help, and so can mineral supplements.

Stress

Does this need any explanation? The only thing I’ll add is that people who’ve experienced trauma have a special kind of stress. Victims of childhood trauma are much more likely to have chronic disease as adults. Your body can also be stressed by mold, toxic exposures, hidden infections, and heavy metals. I had super exposure through a bunch of mercury fillings. They’re all removed (safely) now, thank goodness, and I focus on detox.

White coats

Doctors wear white coats. They speak in cryptic language and use special tools. They are smart and dedicated. All this encourages us to blindly trust doctors with our health. Of course, doctors generally try their best, but they are constrained by insurance companies, the pharmaceutical industry, and their review boards. These institutions have never met you, and have to protect their own interests, as in their profits. So a little skepticism is warranted. You need to advocate for yourself, and realize that only 10% of your health is coming from medical treatment. If you’re waiting for the healthcare industry to preserve your health, you’re waiting in vain.

Let me be your ally

Let’s tackle the list of root causes of disease together. Let’s find easy ways to support your health, step by step. Contact me to schedule an intro phone call to see if we can work together. The call is free. I’m board certified and I’m an instructor of health coaching so I know my stuff. Let me be there for you.

Comments: What root causes could be impacting your health?

Green Med Info: Health Guide to Chemical Exposures

Food Babe: Ingredients to Avoid

Dr. Pompa: Top 10 Toxic Foods

Dr. Axe: Microbiome

Psychology Today: Adverse Childhood Experiences

National Academy of Health Social Determinants of Health

This article is for information purposes only. See Disclaimer below.